How bandwidth and sample points affect precision of Q-factor measurements in PiezoMEMS resonators

Abstract

Piezoelectric silicon MEMS resonators based on aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films are a versatile technology platform for a multitude of sensor applications [1,2]. Given the moderate piezoelectric coefficients of AlN and thus low stroke levels, such devices are commonly designed for resonant operation [3]. Resonances in linear devices are characterized by two quantities, resonance frequency 𝑓! and quality factor 𝑄. In this work, we examine the impact of bandwidth and number of samples points within a given frequency range on the precision, by which 𝑄 can be measured.